Writing Forward is six years old!
Writing Forward Turns Six
Writing Forward launched on September 1, 2007 and is now six years old, which is pretty exciting.
Every time we celebrate another anniversary, I find myself surprised that the site is still going strong and growing. I’m especially proud that we’ve expanded beyond the blog and have published two books in the Adventures in Writing series with a third one on the way early next year.
None of that would be possible without the wonderful readers and writers who have subscribed to Writing Forward, especially everyone who has shared our posts and books on social media, left positive reviews of the books on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, and helped us build this passionate community of writers.
10 Core Practices for Better Writing is Now Available in More Bookstores
About a month ago, 10 Core Practices for Better Writing became available on Amazon in paperback and for the Kindle.
Now, you can also pick up a copy from Apple’s iBookstore, Barnes & Noble (for Nook), Kobo, and Smashwords.
My goal is make sure the book is available to you in the format you prefer and from the outlet where you like to shop. Let me know if there’s another format or store where you’d like to see it.
Win a Free Copy of 10 Core Practices for Better Writing Ebook
To celebrate all this good news, I’m giving away five free copies of 10 Core Practices for Better Writing in ebook format. Here are the rules for the giveaway:
- To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment telling us one thing you’ve done that helped you improve your writing. Make sure you enter a valid email address (your email address is not shared, published, or distributed). Comments that do not include a statement about how you’ve improved your writing will not be considered as a contest entry.
- Five winners will be selected from the comments at random and each winner will be able to choose the ebook format of his or her choice; options include Kindle (.mobi), epub, and pdf.
- Comments (and the contest) will stay open until midnight (Pacific Time) Thursday, September 5, 2013.
- Winners will be notified via email within 24 hours of the contest’s closing and will have one week to claim their prizes.
- Winners will receive their ebooks via email.
Good luck, and keep writing!
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I read many blogs such as this one and books on writing. These are very interesting and helpful. However, by themselves they do not improve writing. The one thing I have done to improve my writing is to put the advice into practice.
Refinement using trash:-
To not get excited at the completion of first draft and come back to it over and over again with the ‘so called’ garbage of previous drafts for the purpose of chiseling ad refining the text.
Write a piece, sleep over it and revise it the next day.
Read, read, read and read some more. I learn a lot from other writers and how they develop their characters and plot lines. Also, I try not to make corrections as I write. Just write, write, write and write some more.
The most effective thing I’ve done for my own writing is to join a critique group. Even when I get discouraged and want to give up, I keep on because of the group. Their comments are invaluable and help me identify blind spots in my writing, too. I would never have gotten this far without them, and I owe those awesome writers in my group a lot.
One thing I have done to improve my writing is to try to have time every day to write.
The most amazing thing, which inspired me was your fluent and smooth writing! One of my friend told me about this sites, first of all I visit this site but didn’t got exact information, but with the passage of time when I red more and more article about various niche then I felt this is awesome site for reading and for creative writing! Now I’m feeling better before joining to this site…
The most effective thing I’ve done for my writing is put my butt in the chair and do it. I was stuck in the get-stuck-and-start-over loop and I thought I would never get past that one spot. I have since found a few very helpful authors and their how-to books that have gotten me over that hump by stuffing my inner editor in a closet! My new motto is get it on the page and fix the train wreck in revisions.
I’ve started to keep a list of words I like are words I am unable to define with any proficiency from books I read. I then take ten to fifteen of them and try to write something using all of them somewhere in the story. As imagined it can lead in many directions and really gets the creative juices flowing.
More reviewers. More more more. Everyone of them has something to offer : along with the usual types, look for those who don’t read your sort of novel. As long as they can read yours without dying inside, you never know what they will tell you that is true, or provocative, or insightful. The usual suspects will have the usual things to say; get people who will introduce new concepts. Shake it up a little!
I have started carrying a small notebook around to capture the ideas that I seem to only get when I am at work, or driving somewhere. It has helped so much to jot down one line that I think of, or a stray memory that was triggered by something someone said. My short term memory isn’t as powerful as it used to be!!
Congratulations on your anniversary! I enjoy your blog. The most effective thing I’ve done with my writing is figuring out how to separate story editing from sentence and grammar editing. A submission-ready manuscript needs to have gone through both types of edits, and the grammar edits need to be deeper than just basic grammar. This blog has offered many pointers over the year I’ve been following it. Congrats!
I would say connecting with other writers–whether through critique groups, workshops or conferences–gave me a ton of writer-ly knowledge and support.
I started paying more attention when I was reading—noticing great leads, great transitions, powerful endings. It’s hard not to get lost in great writing, but forcing myself to notice what makes it great has definitely helped my writing.
Staying connected and moving with the real world.
I now commit to at least one hour of non-negotiable writing time. Its is amazing how much my writing has improved in quality and productivity because of this new discipline. I also read other works and writing resources but these are not counted as part of my writing time.
Next steps include joining a small writing group for shared critiques and support.
I’ve found that writing first thing in the morning every day has been my salvation. I write using my computer rather than long-hand, as Julia Cameron, creator of the Morning Pages idea, suggests. But the end result is the same: I find myself energized more often than not.
I have been working hard on my writing this last two years. I have reentered university after a 20 year break and go to the writing tutors, for every assignment I ask for two editors to give me feedback that will teach me to write and organize my thoughts better. My writing is improving through writing. I write in a journal, write in response to everything I read to improve my writing. I also find that the better literature I read, every day, then my writing does improve quite a bit.
Dawn
I find so many people give up because they don’t like the very first few pages. I know i did, over and over again. But eventually i learned just to keep writing and eventually you would fall into the groove and by the end you had finally figured out where you were going and how you got there! Then with the strength of all that power and magic behind you you go back and REWRITE the start that may be weak, making it the strongest part of it all.
I have recently started writing every day for at least 30 minutes. It suits me best to write straight after breakfast and I write on computer. I joined the WriteAway blogging site which means that what I write is read and other people are free to comment on it. This discipline is helping me to focus on what I want to say and how to say it.
I am interested in writing a memoir. I have written in my notebook and have written semi-chapters for a few years. I am now reading published memoirs to help me find my structure, voice and streamline my platform for what I envision is a full draft of the memoir. I write whenever a memory comes to mind…and later pull it together in my notebook. Staying focus and concentrated is a challenge. I write daily at my job which is health research…totally different than what direction I am taking with my memoir.
I’ve only recently found this site through Pinterest. I’ve spent my life loving all that has to do with reading and writing, but never have been able to spend the time I would lije to to grow and develop in my qritin. I find the tips and articles very helpful. In particular the http://www.oneword.com site. It’s quick and simple and helps me get in the mood to jot down some things I may have not even known I had on my mind. I really love it, and had never heard of it before this site!! Thank you!
By following your blog I am reminded that I can’t wait to “get in the mood” to write. I have to treat it as a requirement, like walking every day, not an option! If you give yourself permission to fail you certainly will.
Realising the mind must know when it is time to get down to work… therefore setting strict times to write and adhering to them has been superb in amping my productivity, but more importantly the satisfaction and fulfilment of doing the work đŸ™‚ and your blog of course đŸ˜‰
I’ve started a blog that chronicles my life. I also read a lot of books in the craft of writing and other resources (Writing Forward helped me get started). Reading both fiction and non-fiction also expands my horizon. Oh, how I wish to have your book!
I am a bit of a logophile and words sometimes get in the way of my stories. I decided to read, “Dune”, paying close attention to literary devices, characterization, plot, and how to weave an image, using minimal description, to allow the reader to use their own imagination. Now, I’ve seen the movie, “Dune”, so I was able to compare my memory of the movie with how my imagination formed its own opinions in the book. I’m moving on to, “Heart of Darkness” then rereading, “Elegance of the Hedgehog” while noting the different techniques and how they affect story flow. Thanks for the opportunity!
In my quest to improve my writing ability, your blog is essential. I feel a need for your hardcopy book.
I’ve started journaling in longhand each day. With two small children, it’s easier to have a notebook and pen handy and jot down whatever I’m thinking about than it is to get out the computer and figure out if I’m writing an online journal entry, a blog post, or something else entirely. I’ve learned to “turn on the faucet” more. Thank you for the opportunity to win your book!
I have learned so much about writing this past year from various sources. I follow a lot of blogs, from seasoned, published authors to literary agents to editors. I am on most of the social media, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Goodreads. I have jointed the discussions on LinkedIn and Goodreads and connected with many on Twitter and Facebook. I think that writing my own blog has taught me the most. I write a blog, Becky’s Book Notes, that is dedicated to aspiring and debut authors. It started out as a review blog but I have recently branched out to include articles for aspiring authors as well. I read a lot. I read for reviews, I read for pleasure, for learning the craft and for research for my book. In my opinion, nothing can prepare a writer to write better than reading a lot and writing a lot. I also take notes on the how-to books. It helps me to remember better since I am a visual type of student. I read, and I write. I love to promote other authors! Thank you for your blog. I am learning a lot here too!
Congrats on another anniversary!
Many of the things that I write tend to be scripts. It’s pretty obvious whether something is good or not when you give it to actors for table read (or rehearsal if it’s something that’s quickly thrown together). Otherwise, shoot it and put it on Youtube and you will quickly know whether people hated it (take it with a grain of salt, though).
For other kinds of writing, posting on a blog or Facebook would give you feedbacks right away. For things that’s not meant to be shared publicly, I guess it’s time to ask a friend’s opinion. Having feedback always help.
One thing I did was not planning. Well not heavy planning. I just let the ideas flow. That way I came up with some fun characters and situations.
I am really passionate about writing but I work over 40 hours/week and therefore I don’t always have time to write as much as I wanted. I have however committed myself to writing every day even if only a few lines, so I have found that committing to this has allowed me to create new writing habits.
I am currently completing The Five Minute Journal every day and because there isn’t a lot of space to write on it, this has helped me summarize my ideas and find a way to still say what I want to in only a few words.
Using the 750words.com tool is also a great tool that has helped improve my writing because it allows you to write on a free topic and yields a lot of information about each writing session, which allows me to see what my mindset is on, how fast I write and what language I am using.
Talking to other writers has helped improve my writing. We talk about our WIPs, offer suggestions, encourage each other,
procrastinate,etc. Also, one blog in particular has helped me improve: Inside Liam’s Brain.The simplest way that I have improved my writing started with a little unknown book entitled, Room to Write by Bonni Goldberg. The daily free writings gave some great ideas on what I could write about, and gave me permission to just do it without fear of failure.
Reading all genres of books has helped me improve my writing also, but the ultimate test to that improvement has been with my daily writing.
Reading books like “10 Core Practices for Better Writing” have helped tremendously!
One thing I do to improve my writing, is to read and analyze books in the style I’d like to write in. I also read blogs and run ideas by trusted friends.
Definitely more reading and jotting down ideas, memories, and observations.
One of the most important things I did to improve my writing was to begin reading like a writer. It was difficult at first, because I felt as if it was a chore, and I want to read for pleasure! But after a bit of a struggle, I have reached a middle ground. I still read the books I enjoy, I still get great entertainment and pleasure from reading them, but I have learned to keep a certain section of my brain alert as I read. I make myself aware of a certain turn of phrase that strikes me, the way a particular author puts together words in a magical way, the various ARCs of my favorite books, among many other things. Being AWARE of what I read has made my awareness of my own writing sharpen and – hopefully! – improve.
I find that, when I’m blocked, just opening a blank document and writing about my day helps a lot.